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22 J. Soc. Welfare & Fam. L. iii (2000)

handle is hein.journals/jnlosclwl22 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 22(1) 2000: iii-viii AEG Editorial Readers will recall that in the editorial for the last issue of 1999, we made reference to the United Kingdom's Second Report to the UN Monitoring Committee on the Rights of the Child. That Report had been published in late August 1999 and we expressed the view that the tone of the Report was almost entirely self- congratulatory and containedlittle of a self-critical nature. Whilst we acknowledged that the Report reflected a veritable hive of activity occurring across all central and local government departments to improve the condition of the UK's children. It did not reflect the very high levels of concern still felt among all sections of the community within the United Kingdom about the plight of different children in different groups. We indicated in the last editorial that even in the preparation of the Second Report relatively few children appeared actually to have been involved in consultation about their particular concerns. A reference was made in the Report somewhat briefly in para 1.6.4, to the fact that in Scotland, the government had commissioned Save The Children to undertake a project, entitled 'Our Lives', to seek the views of children and young people on some of the main themes of the UN Convention,namely health, education, family life and protection from harm. There was, however, little other concrete reference to the other extensive consultation work undertaken by Save The Children, for example in England, although at para 1.6.3 it was noted that the consultation process had been handled separately in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which included events aimed at drawing out the views of children. Save The Children have recently issued their own Report and video, both of which go under the same title 'We have rights, OK - Children's views of the United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child' (Save The Children 1999). Both the video and the Report were produced ahead of the government's Report and yet no reference is made in the United Kingdom government's Second Report to the UN Committee to eitherthe Save The Children videoor to the Report, consulting some 500 children across the UK, edited by Christine Pandich. When one looks at the detail of this Report, it was not really surprising that the government decided that no mention shouldbe made of it in the Second Report. For example, in the chapter headed 'Every Childhas the Right to Education' we see the future mapped out for our society's future adults - who feel totally disconnected with society and who have no inclinationto take part in voting either in general or local elections. The alienation experienced by children and their real resentment about their own lack of participation within the school system is tellingly revealed. On the subject of School's Councils, opinion was divided as to their effectiveness with children reporting that adults held the balance of power: When it comes to it, they decide what they want. School councils? We've got one but it doesn't do anything. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law ISSN 0141-8033 print ISSN 1469-9621 online @ 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd

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